Pumping up eyelash volume

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - If the eyes are the window to the soul and you think your "window dressings" aren't standing out, we may have the solution for you. There's a new treatment for the folicly challenged.

Long and thick eyelashes are coveted by most women. 53-year-old Marlene Lemaire of Sulphur says, "I think every woman likes that. You just put a little bit of mascara on and they're there!"

If you are like Marlene, the only way to pump up the volume of your lashes when mascara isn't cutting it is to use false eyelashes. But, this can be inconvenient and leave the lashes damaged. "Mine were thin and frail from having had someone put false eyelashes on me for a special occasion," says Marlene.

When she heard about a new treatment called "Latisse," Marlene was excited to learn that Dr. Mark Crawford with The Aesthetic Center offered it. "It causes the growth phase of the lashes to recruit more lashes and grow thicker and longer," says Dr. Crawford.

The discovery of Latisse actually came about because of a glaucoma treatment involving Lumigan eye drops. Dr. Crawford says, "They'd use this drop once a day and then a month or so later, they'd come back and their eyelashes would be long and thick and there's more of them."

It was thanks to this unexpected side effect that researchers developed and the FDA approved the treatment for upper eyelashes. "It comes with a little applicator or brush and you can paint it just on the upper eyelashes on each side once a day," says Dr. Crawford.

The results typically occur within a month and they're permanent as long as the treatment is used. "If you would quit using it," says Dr. Crawford, "in a few months your eyelashes will probably go back to where they were."

Marlene says she's been able to toss the traditional lash extenders and expensive mascaras now that her eyelashes are full and long - and she says she has no desire to stop using Latisse. "I plan on continuing to use it," says Marlene, "it lasts much longer than expected. I have no intention of not using it!"

*The most common side effect of Latisse is slight redness in the eyelid area. One treatment package can last up to two months and costs around $100.

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